http://fromthedarksideofthelookingglass.blogspot.com/

What we
learned and what we lost! BAASS-MUFON SIP Program

Introduction:
The STAR Team was a Rapid Response Investigation Unit, operating in a
MUFON program, which was funded by BAASS (Bigelow Aerospace Advanced Space
Studies) that was known as the SIP Project. At that time MUFON was the largest
international UFO research organization in the world. [1]

The purpose of the SIP Project was in part to provide funding to professionally
investigate UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) events and make available
information from the MUFON witness sighting report data base (CMS) directly
to BAASS. Part of this funding was also allocated to payroll a team of full
time Dispatch operators, who would work continuous shifts throughout the week
and monitor the incoming sighting reports.

I served as STAR Team Manager and SIP Project Coordinator from the beginning of
the project in February 2009 until it ended in of January 2010. This was the most advanced non-government
rapid response UAP investigative team in the world. During that year, while
working with the dispatchers and with BAASS, I learned an incredible amount
about how to investigate and study this Phenomena and developed relationships
with some of the most experienced Investigators, Researchers and Ufologists in
the world.

Shortly after I was hired to manage the SIP project, I came in possession of a
whitepaper that was written by Dr.
J.F.Vallée and Dr. E.W.Davis that is titled "Incommensurability,
Orthodoxy and the Physics of High Strangeness: A 6-layer Model for Anomalous
Phenomena". [2]

After reading it several times
during the early stages of the project, I realized, that the "6-layer
model" outlined in that whitepaper was absolutely right on the mark as to
research and investigation into the (UAP) phenomenon. The concepts in this
white paper became the frame work for my thinking while performing in that
role. Keep in mind we were getting 400-800 case reports per month coming in. We
were literally looking at this information night and day (7 days a week)
for a year.

Metaphorically speaking this was the
"Catbird Seat" if there ever was such a thing in Ufology. Throughout
that year, I took advantage of every minute, to study this phenomenon and learn
all I could about how to investigate sighting reports and how that data might
be effectively used.

The following is based on my
observations and experiences.
Richard Lang
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Evolution of the
STAR team:
It is worth taking a moment to understand the how the MUFON STAR Team
originally started out. Then look at how it evolved during the SIP Project with
BAASS funding, and finally where it currently is now.

Keep in mind that there were 3 distinct STAR Team initiatives, which all shared
the same common name, but were very much different!

Original MUFON STAR Team(2007 to
February2009)

§Some funding

§Decentralized with a
team coordinator

§No CMS monitoring

§No reporting protocol
or format

§Very little equipment
(most individually owned)

§Very restrictive
confidentially agreement

§10 members

ØBAASS SIP Project STAR Team(February 2009 to January 2010)

§Totally funded

§Paid management (full
time employees)

§Paid dispatch operation
(part time employees)

§24/7 CMS monitoring and
vetting of cases

§Witness contact
information was verified on all incoming cases

§Paid qualified
Investigators (including payment for travel expenses)

§Paid operations unit
(full time employee) arrangements for airline travel lodging etc. everything
was paid for up front and investigators had no out of pocket expenses.